Arrests for minor drug offenses drop in several New Jersey cities

Nov 22, 2011

Arrests for minor drug offenses drop in several New Jersey cities

Posted By
Brickfield & Donahue

With the economy the way it is, it may be of little surprise that police
departments are also struggling financially. In the early months of last
year, five different cities across New Jersey that were struggling with
funding and revenue had to let go of hundreds of police officers.

Now, nearly two years later officials are looking at how the layoffs have
affected crime rates and priorities within police departments. Specifically,
statistics from arrest data show that arrests for minor offenses, such
as minor drug charges, have risen.

Analysis of the data shows that fewer police officers can force a department
to shift priorities. Instead of having more numbers to address many of
the minor offenses, the remaining officers focus on more serious offenses.

The five different cities have seen a decrease in arrests for minor offenses.
For example, in Newark the number of arrests for minor infractions dropped
to half after the layoffs. In Paterson, the average number of arrests
for drug possession and shoplifting, among other minor offenses, also
decreased just a few months after the layoffs.

The numbers have raised concern among city officials and police experts.
How will this impact the cities over a long period of time? If fewer people
are getting arrested but the number of people actually committing the
crime stays the same, it could lead to higher crime rates. Prior to this
shift in priorities, police departments had actually focused efforts on
minor infractions such as drug crimes.

Is this a trend that the cities should be concerned about? Or are there
other reasons for the change in arrest rates?

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